Electric wax-heater



R. F. `RFADER. ELECTRIC wAx HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I5, $919.

1,381,500. Patenauune 14,1921.

I @www wax from the heater.

UNITED STATES :RUSSELL E. READER, 0E EAST s'r.- LonIs, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC WAX-HEM*En.Y

Specification of Letters Patent. 'y Patented J une 14, 1921.

Applicationrled september 15, 19.119. seriai nofzasm.

To all whom -z't may concer/a.'

. Be it known that I, RUSSELL F. READER, a citizen of the United States, residing at East St. Louis, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented an Electric Wax-Heater, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to wax heaters and more particularly to a heater which will heat wax held in a receptacle to a liquid state for sealing packages, envelops and the like by -means of heat generated from an electric current.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to control the flow fof liquid With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

y Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like characters kof reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of my electric wax heater.

yFig.` 2,A is' a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3, is a detail in sectional elevation of the electric heater and valve for controlling the flow of liquid wax. f n

Referring to the drawings the reference characterl designates a suitable standard or support whichv is Vfixed toy av suitable baseplate 2. The support lis preferably pro-` vided with a plurality of openings 3. 1

A suitable supportingv arm 4, having a bifurcated or forked end 5, is secured to the vertical support 1 by means of a screwthreaded pin 6 which passes through one of the openings 3 and through the openings'.

` 7 of the forked end 5 of the supporting arm 4. The supporting arm 4 is held at any desired angle by means of the thumb-nut 8 carried by the screw-threaded pin 6.

A suitable wax receiving and supporting funnel, or receptacle 9 is suitably fixed to one end of the Supporting arm 4. -The upper end of the funnel shaped receptacle 9 is provided with a top 10 having a wax stick receiving opening 11.

The lower end 12 of the funnel shaped receptacle is provided in the lower end of the passage 13 with a head 14 having a vertical passage l5, as clearly shown n Fig.y 3. valve-.stem 16 passes through the llower end `of the funnel shaped receptacle and through the head 15 vand is held in position by means of the nut 17. The valve stem is provided with a passage 18 adapted when the valvestem 16 is turned to one poyto Vregister with the opening in the head 14 sition and the valve-stem 16 is adapted to close the opening 15 whenit is turned'to another position, asis manifest'. A suitable handle `19 is ixedrto the'outerend. of the valve-stem 16. A j

The lower end 12 of, the'V funnel shaped Y receptacle 9 is encircled by means of a porcelain thimble 20, or its equivalent. `The thiinble 20 is exteriorly wound with a suitable coiled heating conductor ,21, both above and below the valve 16.

One end of the .heating conductor 21 is connected ,toV a conductor 22 while the opposite` end of the heating conductor is connected to a conductor 23. Y

The conductors 22 and 23 preferably pass through thesupporting arm 4 and have a suitable screw-threaded plug fixed at their extremities. A suitable electric switch 24 controls the flow of electric current to the llieating conductor, as clearly shown in lig. 1.

purpose of sealing `packages with the heater herein described, assuming no, `wax is inthe .heater receptacle, a stick of 4wax designated 25 having the tapered lower end '26" is passed through theopening 11 in thetop 10 until the lower tapered end of the wax stick seats itself in the lower end 12 of the funnel shaped receptacle 9, as clearly shown in Figs.

1 and 3. After the wax stick has been positioned, the switch 24 is closed thereby closing the electric circuit through the several conductors and causing the heat generatedy by means of the coiled heating conductor 21 to heat the lower end 12 of the receptacle 9 and finally the wax carried therein. As soon as the wax is hot enough to run in a liquid state, the operator places the package he desiresl to seal under the passage 13 at the lower end of the funnel shaped receptacle and then turns the valve 16 so that the passage 18`thereof will register with the passage 15. When the valve has been turned to this position, the heated wax will flowV through passage 13 of the receptacle and drop upon the package positioned below. When a sufficient quantity of Wax has been discharged to properly seal the package, the operator turns off the valve 16, while the wax is hot, and also opens the switch 24. Even though an operator should forget t0 open the switch, no damage could result therefrom owing to the fact that the receptacle 9 is large enough to accommodate a full stick of melted or heated wax.

My wax heater is especially useful and convenient in banks, brokerage houses, express oiices, post offices, and large business houses, where large numbers of packages are sealed each day. `With my improved wax heater the wax is not burnt or carbonized as with the old method of heating the wax with a gas flame, match, or alcohol lamp.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that I have constructed a device, which is simple in operation, highly efiicient and capable of being adjusted to meet the requirements of sealing packages of all shapes and sizes, as is manifest.

'The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

I do not wish to be understood as having limited myself to the exact details of construction shown and described, but desire to have it understood that the device I have shown in the drawings is merely illustrative, as it is manifest that various minor changes may be made in the form, shape and particular arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, hence reserve the right to make any such changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims when fairly construed.

What I claim is:

4 1. An electric wax heater comprising a base, an upright carried by the base, a wax receiving receptacle, a supporting arm fixed at one end to said receptacle, means for adjustably connecting the opposite end of said supporting arm to'said upright, an electric heater surrounding the lower end of said wax receiving receptacle, a valve for controlling the flow of heated wax from the receptacle, and a switch for opening and closing the electric circuit to the heater.

2. An electric wax heater comprising a base, an upright carried by the base, a funnel shaped wax receiving receptacle having an opening in its upper end to receive a stick of wax, means for guiding the stick of wax in an upright position until it becomes too short to project above the upper end of the funnel shaped receptacle, a supportingarm fixed at one end to said receptacle, means for adjustably connecting the opposite end of said supporting arm to said upright, an electric heater surrounding the lower end of said wax receiving receptacle, a valve foil controlling the flow of heated wax from the receptacle, and a switch for opening and closing the electric circuit to the heater.

3. An electric wax heater comprising a supper-tino' stand, a wax receiving receptacle having its lcwer end contracted, electrical heating means surrounding the lower contracted end of said wax receiving receptacle, a valve arranged at the lower edge 0f said contracted lower end of the wax receiving receptacle for controlling the flow of heated wax therefrom, a switch for opening and closing the electric circuit to the heater, a connection between the wax receiving receptacle and the supporting stand, and means for locking said connection with the supporting stand for holding the wax receiving receptacle at any desired elevation above the package tobe sealed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to the specification.

RUSS-ELL F; READER. 

